We Anchored Alone Overnight for the First Time… Were We Ready??

Name: We Anchored Alone Overnight for the First Time… Were We Ready??
Uploaded: 2026-04-21T21:33:41.000Z
Duration: 24 min 58 s
Description: Three nights at anchor on a BlueEddy and 200-watt solar panel left 47% charge remaining.

21 April 2026 · 24 min · 3K views · Salt Spring Island Electoral Area, Canada

Couple toasting mugs at sunset aboard sailboat

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What this video covers

Dean and Tess sail their boat Nomadika to Todd Inlet for a three-night first overnight anchorage, departing from a marina after a prolonged winter.▶ 0:20 The passage involves tacking upwind at 4.5 knots through a channel crowded with tankers and crab traps, with one reef in the main as a precaution.▶ 3:07 Todd Inlet is a popular, tight anchorage with mud holding; they set the hook among several other boats, confirm no drag overnight using an anchor watch app, and report the anchor came up coated in mud on departure.▶ 5:40 The trip doubles as a power-system stress test: two laptops and Starlink running off a BlueEddy portable power station fed by a 200-watt foldable solar panel consumed only 3% charge after two hours of work on a sunny day.▶ 15:23 After three nights — including two overcast days running a diesel heater, fridge, and water pump — 47% capacity remained.▶ 19:53 On return, Dean checks the engine oil and finds it slightly green and thin, consistent with a diesel-contamination problem he had previously attributed to the fuel lift pump and replaced; the issue appears to have returned, and he asks viewers for input on injectors or other causes.▶ 22:54 Adequate solar input can sustain full liveaboard power use at anchor indefinitely in fair weather; cloudy days reduce but do not eliminate self-sufficiency.